2002 Chevrolet Malibu Owner's Manual Litho in U.S.A. Part Number 22675723 A First Edition ECopyright General Motors Corporation 06/25/01 All Rights Reserved i We support voluntary technician certification. GENERAL MOTORS, GM, the GM Emblem, CHEVROLET, the CHEVROLET Emblem and the name MALIBU are registered trademarks of General Motors Corporation. This manual includes the latest information at the time it was printed. We reserve the right to make changes after that time without further notice. For vehicles first sold in Canada, substitute the name "General Motors of Canada Limited" for Chevrolet Motor Division whenever it appears in this manual. Please keep this manual in your vehicle, so it will be there if you ever need it when you're on the road. If you sell the vehicle, please leave this manual in it so the new owner can use it. For Canadian Owners Who Prefer a French Language Manual: Aux propriétaires canadiens: Vous pouvez vous procurer un exemplaire de ce guide en français chez votre concessionaire ou au: Helm, Incorporated P.O. Box 07130 Detroit, MI 48207 ii How to Use this Manual Many people read their owner's manual from beginning to end when they first receive their new vehicle. If you do this, it will help you learn about the features and controls for your vehicle. In this manual, you'll find that pictures and words work together to explain things quickly. CAUTION: These mean there is something that could hurt you or other people. In the caution area, we tell you what the hazard is. Then we tell you what to do to help avoid or reduce the hazard. Please read these cautions. If you don't, you or others could be hurt. You will also find a circle with a slash through it in this book. This safety symbol means "Don't," "Don't do this" or "Don't let this happen." Safety Warnings and Symbols You will find a number of safety cautions in this book. We use a box and the word CAUTION to tell you about things that could hurt you if you were to ignore the warning. iii Vehicle Damage Warnings Also, in this book you will find these notices: Vehicle Symbols Your vehicle may be equipped with components and labels that use symbols instead of text. Symbols, used on your vehicle, are shown along with the text describing the operation or information relating to a specific component, control, message, gage or indicator. If you need help figuring out a specific name of a component, gage or indicator reference the following topics in the Index: NOTICE: These mean there is something that could damage your vehicle. In the notice area, we tell you about something that can damage your vehicle. Many times, this damage would not be covered by your warranty, and it could be costly. But the notice will tell you what to do to help avoid the damage. When you read other manuals, you might see CAUTION and NOTICE warnings in different colors or in different words. You'll also see warning labels on your vehicle. They use the same words, CAUTION or NOTICE. D D D D "Engine Compartment Overview" "Instrument Panel" "Comfort Controls" "Audio Systems" Also see "Warning Lights and Gages" in the Index. iv These are some examples of vehicle symbols you may find on your vehicle: v Section 1 Seats and Seat Restraints Here you'll find information about the seats in your vehicle and how to use your safety belts properly. You can also learn about some things you should not do with air bags and safety belts. 1-2 1-7 1-11 1-13 1-13 1-21 1-22 1-22 1-28 Seats and Seat Controls Safety Belts: They're for Everyone Here Are Questions Many People Ask About Safety Belts -- and the Answers How to Wear Safety Belts Properly Driver Position Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy Right Front Passenger Position Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) Rear Seat Passengers 1-31 1-33 1-35 1-39 1-54 1-57 1-57 1-57 Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides for Children and Small Adults Center Passenger Position Children Restraint Systems for Children Older Children Safety Belt Extender Checking Your Restraint Systems Replacing Restraint System Parts After a Crash 1- 1-1 Seats and Seat Controls This section tells you about the seats -- how to adjust them -- and also about reclining seatbacks and head restraints. Manual Front Seats CAUTION: You can lose control of the vehicle if you try to adjust a manual driver's seat while the vehicle is moving. The sudden movement could startle and confuse you, or make you push a pedal when you don't want to. Adjust the driver's seat only when the vehicle is not moving. Your vehicle has the following manual front seat control. Lift the bar located under the front seat to unlock it. Slide the seat to where you want it and release the bar. Then try to move the seat with your body to make sure the seat is locked into place. 1-2 Six-Way Power Seat (If Equipped) To adjust the power seat, do the following: D Move the seat forward or backward by pushing the control toward the front or back of the vehicle. whole control up or down. D Raise or lower the entire seat cushion by holding the D Raise or lower the front of the seat cushion by D Raise or lower the rear of the seat cushion by holding the front part of the control up or down. holding the rear part of the control up or down. If your vehicle has this feature, the power seat control is located on the outboard side of the driver's seat. This control allows you to move the seat up, down, forward or backward. It will also move the front or rear of the seat cushion up or down. 1-3 Reclining Front Seatbacks Your vehicle has the following reclining front seatback lever. But don't have a seatback reclined if your vehicle is moving. To adjust the seatback, lift the lever located on the outboard side of the seat. Move the seatback to where you want it and release the lever. Check to see that the handle returns to the original position and that the seatback is securely locked. Pull up on the lever without pushing on the seatback and the seat will go to an upright position. 1-4 Head Restraints CAUTION: Sitting in a reclined position when your vehicle is in motion can be dangerous. Even if you buckle up, your safety belts can't do their job when you're reclined like this. The shoulder belt can't do its job because it won't be against your body. Instead, it will be in front of you. In a crash you could go into it, receiving neck or other injuries. The lap belt can't do its job either. In a crash the belt could go up over your abdomen. The belt forces would be there, not at your pelvic bones. This could cause serious internal injuries. For proper protection when the vehicle is in motion, have the seatback upright. Then sit well back in the seat and wear your safety belt properly. Head restraints are fixed on some models and adjustable on others. Slide an adjustable head restraint up or down so that the top of the restraint is closest to the top of your head. This position reduces the chance of a neck injury in a crash. 1-5 Rear Seats Folding Rear Seatback (Option) To fold down the rear seatback, do the following: 1. Open the trunk and pull one or both of the tethers located on the driver's side of the trunk. The left tether will open the larger side of the seatback. The right tether will open the smaller side of the seatback. 2. Once a tether is pulled, the seatback can be pushed open through the trunk, or pulled open from inside the vehicle. To close the split folding rear seatback, push the seatback up until you hear a click. Then pull on the seatback to make sure it is secure. 1-6 Safety Belts: They're for Everyone This part of the manual tells you how to use safety belts properly. It also tells you some things you should not do with safety belts. And it explains the Supplemental Restraint System (SRS), or air bag system. CAUTION: It is extremely dangerous to ride in a cargo area, inside or outside of a vehicle. In a collision, people riding in these areas are more likely to be seriously injured or killed. Do not allow people to ride in any area of your vehicle that is not equipped with seats and safety belts. Be sure everyone in your vehicle is in a seat and using a safety belt properly. CAUTION: Don't let anyone ride where he or she can't wear a safety belt properly. If you are in a crash and you're not wearing a safety belt, your injuries can be much worse. You can hit things inside the vehicle or be ejected from it. You can be seriously injured or killed. In the same crash, you might not be if you are buckled up. Always fasten your safety belt, and check that your passengers' belts are fastened properly too. Your vehicle has a light that comes on as a reminder to buckle up. See "Safety Belt Reminder Light" in the Index. In most states and Canadian provinces, the law says to wear safety belts. Here's why: They work. 1-7 You never know if you'll be in a crash. If you do have a crash, you don't know if it will be a bad one. A few crashes are mild, and some crashes can be so serious that even buckled up a person wouldn't survive. But most crashes are in between. In many of them, people who buckle up can survive and sometimes walk away. Without belts they could have been badly hurt or killed. After more than 30 years of safety belts in vehicles, the facts are clear. In most crashes buckling up does matter ... a lot! Why Safety Belts Work When you ride in or on anything, you go as fast as it goes. Take the simplest vehicle. Suppose it's just a seat on wheels. 1-8 Put someone on it. Get it up to speed. Then stop the vehicle. The rider doesn't stop. 1-9 The person keeps going until stopped by something. In a real vehicle, it could be the windshield ... or the instrument panel ... 1-10 Here Are Questions Many People Ask About Safety Belts -- and the Answers Q: Won't I be trapped in the vehicle after an accident if I'm wearing a safety belt? A: You could be -- whether you're wearing a safety belt or not. But you can unbuckle a safety belt, even if you're upside down. And your chance of being conscious during and after an accident, so you can unbuckle and get out, is much greater if you are belted. or the safety belts! With safety belts, you slow down as the vehicle does. You get more time to stop. You stop over more distance, and your strongest bones take the forces. That's why safety belts make such good sense. 1-11 Q: A: If my vehicle has air bags, why should I have to wear safety belts? Air bags are in many vehicles today and will be in most of them in the future. But they are supplemental systems only; so they work with safety belts -- not instead of them. Every air bag system ever offered for sale has required the use of safety belts. Even if you're in a vehicle that has air bags, you still have to buckle up to get the most protection. That's true not only in frontal collisions, but especially in side and other collisions. Q: A: If I'm a good driver, and I never drive far from home, why should I wear safety belts? You may be an excellent driver, but if you're in an accident -- even one that isn't your fault -- you and your passengers can be hurt. Being a good driver doesn't protect you from things beyond your control, such as bad drivers. Most accidents occur within 25 miles (40 km) of home. And the greatest number of serious injuries and deaths occur at speeds of less than 40 mph (65 km/h). Safety belts are for everyone. 1-12 How to Wear Safety Belts Properly Adults This part is only for people of adult size. Be aware that there are special things to know about safety belts and children. And there are different rules for smaller children and babies. If a child will be riding in your vehicle, see the part of this manual called "Children." Follow those rules for everyone's protection. First, you'll want to know which restraint systems your vehicle has. We'll start with the driver position. Driver Position This part describes the driver's restraint system. Lap-Shoulder Belt The driver has a lap-shoulder belt. Here's how to wear it properly. 1. Close and lock the door. 2. Adjust the seat so you can sit up straight. To see how, see "Seats" in the Index. 3. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you. Don't let it get twisted. The shoulder belt may lock if you pull the belt across you very quickly. If this happens, let the belt go back slightly to unlock it. Then pull the belt across you more slowly. 4. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks. 1-13 If the belt stops before it reaches the buckle, tilt the latch plate and keep pulling until you can buckle the belt. Pull up on the latch plate to make sure it is secure. If the belt isn't long enough, see "Safety Belt Extender" at the end of this section. Make sure the release button on the buckle is positioned so you would be able to unbuckle the safety belt quickly if you ever had to. 5. To make the lap part tight, pull down on the buckle end of the belt as you pull up on the shoulder belt. 1-14 ...